Stairway To Heaven
by HolbyCityFanfics
Summary: At first he thinks it's grief, and then he things he's mad. But the time he's shared with Issac is the best he's ever had. His heart is mended, his life in the right lane, so why on earth can he see Arthur again? Dissac/Domby fic 3
1. Chapter 1

It started as a normal day, the swing of the Keller ward forcing Dominic Copeland out of his lover's arms and into the rat race that they called the Christmas period. The plastic Christmas lights were emerald green, reflecting on silver bed pans and bed frame poles. A tacky decoration was not to Dominic's displeasure, but reminded him too much of his mad friend Zosia, and her crazy obsession with the season.

He took off from the on call room, much to Isaac's protest, and began to walk onto the ward, his smile large for the first time in a long time and his scrubs crumpled from a good time. He hadn't even reached the nurses station when a hat, shaped like a turkey, was flung his way, covering his newly styled curls and causing his smile to fall into a sarcastic smirk.

"Don't give me that look Dr Copeland!" Sacha Levy giggled straightening it out as he jingled his bells. "I'm making all staff wear silly hats, it's part of the festive spirit!" he chuckled, sporting an almost florescent Christmas jumper and a hat shaped like a Christmas tree.

Dom rolled his eyes, his love for the dad of Keller very much prominent as he strolled away. He breathed out a sigh of content as the tubby man made his way towards a patient, his hat quickly falling into a pan of vomit, leaving him with giggles from Essie and a smushed up face.

That was Keller ward, just the way Dom liked it.

"Ah I see you're a Christmas Turkey for the day." Dom was brought from his thoughts as Isaac pounced, his strong arms looping themselves around his berry scrubs, a light kiss slowly being pressed to his neck. "I think you got the better end of the deal…" He muttered as Dom turned around, suddenly smacking his hand to his mouth.

"I-Is that a Brussel sprout?" Dom began to snigger, throwing his head back in hysterics as Isaac rolled his eyes. The pair were a mess as they fooled about, Dom trying to bop the top of it with his finger. "Sacha Levy is amazing!" He giggled, pulling his boyfriend into a hug.

"Shut up you." Issac smirked, cupping Dom's face as he scrunched it between his fingers. "Together we'd make the perfect roast dinner!" He laughed, kissing his boyfriend's cheek as Dom pulled back. He was in a fit of hysterics again and Isaac couldn't help but blush with his boy's cuteness.

"How romantic!" Dom teased, tapping his lover on the chin. He took Isaac's hand twirling himself around in the nurse's station before suddenly coming to a dead halt as he banged into a tall and quite scary figure.

"How romantic indeed Dr Copeland." Hanssen was stood behind the pair, his own laughter stunted by a serous gaze and the large file stuck between his fingers. "when you two have stopped frolicking on my ward I have a task for Dr Copeland here." He handed the file into Dom's hands and smiled approvingly at the pair as their grip became dethatched, their turkey hats falling off and their facial expressions once again professional.

"Of course Mr Hanssen, dare I ask what it is?" Dom was confused as he stood with a pile of roughly written files, even more confused when he opened it to reveal a picture of his dead best friend sticking out of the papers. "What the?"

"let me explain." Mr Hanssen smiled down at the doctor, the one who was currently finding it hard to look at his friend's smile, and his goofy glasses hanging on his nose. He wanted to tear up, but he had done well in suppressing that emotion since June.

"We have a 20-year-old patient that has just been admitted, someone with end stage Hodgkin's lymphoma." Henrik sighed, his hand falling onto Dom's shoulder. "She is very nervous and will not open up to anyone, not even enough to explain her symptoms." He watched as Dom nodded, a bewildered daze on his face as he came to terms with what he was asking. "it is seriously compromising her treatment and as you had such a personal relationship with Arthur throughout his last months, I believe you'd be best to talk to her and possibly get her to calm down." He smiled at the young doctor, tapping his hand against the desk as Dom took a breath.

"Mr Hanssen, I'm not sure I'm the right person for this I-"

"It's your call Dr Copeland, but you remember how nervous Dr Digby was when he got his diagnosis, I believed you handled that very well." Mr Hanssen gave him a final nod of the head before walking slowly down the corridor. His hands swung behind his back, his head hanging low. All it did was bring back memories of Arthur for Dom, he almost felt bad for the girl he had never met.

"Mr Hanssen?" He called out, much to Isaac's surprise as his boyfriend flew forward. Henrik didn't turn round, still peacefully walking to the doors of Keller, before calling exactly what Dominic needed to hear.

"Room 243 Dr Copeland." He said, before exiting in true Mr Hanssen style, swift but boldly, letting the doors smash behind him.

"Room 243." Dom whispered to himself, slowly taking the file. He pulled out the picture of Arthur, a laminated card which pictured him in his berry scrubs. "This is for you." He breathed, before tucking it into his pocket with a pat. "you and your goofy glasses better help me out." He said.

{-}

Dom stood outside the room, his head engrossed in the girls file, and his clammy hand sitting on the door handle. He was trying to convince himself that this was just another patient, just another person with a problem he couldn't fix. He'd had loads of patients die on him, surely this wouldn't be any different.

But it was.

It felt like he was going to be talking to Arthur all over again, seeing someone's face fall as they realised their time on this earth was going to come to an end. He didn't want to open the box that had been closed for months, let out emotions he had been so good at hiding.

He wanted to forget about Arthur, was that so bad?

"Hello, I'm Doctor Copeland." He put on a smile as he entered the private room. He wasn't sure where to look as the girl had her back facing him, her gaze set on the large bay window at the bottom of Keller. All Dom could see was her dark brown locks and a nebulizer attached to a machine. When she didn't acknowledge his appearance, he felt awkward, an emotion he rarely had. "You can call me Dom if you'd like." He smiled, slowly walking round the room.

"What do you want Dr Copeland?" She said sassily, burying her head further inti the pillow. "you can try and take blood from me, but you'll have to sedate me first." She laughed sarcastically before coughing into her oxygen mask, causing Dom to rush to her side.

"I just want to help you Melanie." He muttered, taking a seat on the end of her bed. "I know how horrible it is for you, but we need to do some tests on you, to see how advanced you are." He smiled, trying to take her hand.

"you're even worse than that posh fella." She rolled her eyes, turning over once again so her eyesight was averted. "I've said countless times that I don't want treatment, so why don't you shove off back to mopping sick and leave me to die already." Dom could hear the pain in her voice and gulped back his own tension, but stood strong as she carried on.

"life isn't worth anything to me, I've been destined to die young since I was 5 years old and I fist contracted this thing. You don't know how I feel, so don't start talking medicine to me when you know that I'm going to pop my clogs in a matter of weeks."

"My friend Arthur, he died of cancer, I know how bad it can make you feel." He replied sadly, looking at the laminated blue floor. "it's crushing, it really is, but my friend still fought as hard as he could just like you should be. Life was precious to him; he was happy so he tried to stay alive." Dom gulped back the lump in his throat, smiling through watery eyes as the girl sat up to look at him.  
Had he gotten through to her?

"Your friend was stupid then." She laughed dryly. "All that fighting ended up as a box in the ground. I bet he is real happy with life now as he's eaten by worms." She shrugged her shoulders, her emotionless face staring Dom in the eyes as he began to whimper. "I think I'll pass on the treatment thank you, I'd be quite happy with seeing darkness very soon."

Dom felt speechless, he felt his stomach sink, he felt angry, so angry.

"Well maybe a selfish brat like you should have died instead of him if you want to so badly. Screw the treatment if you don't want it, but don't call me in two hours when the pain is too much to bare!" Dom stormed out of the room, his face red, his eyes wide.

The door slammed shut, the file was thrown on the floor. Dom had never run so fast in his life.

{-}

In his blind rage he found himself in the peace garden ironically, storming across the grass in pure fury. His best friend died and he was left with a patient who had no desire to live.

IT WASN'T FAIR!

He couldn't comprehend it; he wouldn't comprehend it! He couldn't think of Arthur not being there, he couldn't think of him beneath dirt, in blackness, in a world where only he was present.

He began to whimper, taking a seat on the wooden bench, staring up at the slightly crooked plaque hung on the tree. He took a laboured breath and scrunched his face, sniffling into his berry scrubs in the cold December air. He felt the photo in his front pocket, rubbing against his chest, his heart. He took it out, once again staring at his friend's goofy glasses, the ones they had buried with him so he could use him in heaven.

"Heavens not real Arthur, we both knew that." He whispered in distress, pulling the photo to his chest. "you're not here to talk to, you're nowhere! You don't even exist and yet I'm talking to this piece of paper, almost hoping you'll say something back." His tears fell on the picture, and he chucked it to the floor, burying his head in his clammy hands.

"Why did you have to die?" he questioned, looking up at the grey sky and the clouds leading up to nothing. "W-Why c-couldn't i-it have b-been m-me?" he sobbed, shaking his head with fury.

"IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME!" He bellowed into the winter air, the force causing him to stand and scrunch his fists. "It should have been me." He repeated, before collapsing to the floor, his legs giving way with the emotion.

"DOMINIC COPELAND STOP WHAT YOUR'E DOING RIGHT NOW!" His eyes widened, his heart stopped, and his bum stayed glued heavily to the edge of the pavement, his breathing rapidly increasing as He froze still.

He knew that voice, and It was certainly not Issac's. The sweet melodic rhythm, the way it cracked slightly as it pleaded him to stop. The way it said his name, with such force, that he could no longer feel his heart beating.

Arthur.

It couldn't be, it wasn't physically possible.

"I-is it r-really you?" He mumbled, slowly turning on his heal to face him.

There he was, his body very much real as he leaned against his bench plaque. He was no longer deathly pale, his face no longer hiding under the vast amount of breathing equipment. His eyes were no longer a dull shade of grey, but bright and vibrant like the morning sun, his love and care written all over his expression.

He was smiling, standing, talking.

His Arthur was back. His beautiful, wonderful Diggers.

"C'mere you." He saw his arms begin to outstretch, taking his small now shaking body into his touch. "Let's take a walk."

"I don't get it. How are you here?" He asked, as they began to walk through the garden. He wanted to do no more than stay in his arms forever. Instead He settled for holding his hand, squeezing his soft fingers as tight as he could. He could feel himself crying, he could feel himself panicking, he could _**Feel**_ Arthur.

But he didn't question it, he wanted to enjoy the moment.

"I'm here for you." Arthur only smiled sadly, taking a tight and very real grip of Dom's hand. "I'll always be here for you."


	2. Chapter 2

"You're not really here are you?" Dominic whispered, his eyes suddenly on the ground again. He had been sat in Arthur's embrace for what felt like hours, his clammy hands squeezing his friends with such dependence that he never wanted to let go.

But now, his logic was overriding this moment, his eyes beginning to water as he stared at the pavement.

"It's physically impossible, it defies everything I believe in." He was muttering, shaking his head, scrunching his eyes. "If I close my eyes you'll disappear, you'll be a dream, just a dream." He breathed shakily, exhaling with concentration, focusing on his surroundings.

"I think you'll find I am here." Arthur giggled, ripping Dom from his concentrated exercise. "Could I do this if I wasn't here?" He tapped his friend on the cheek, chuckling as Dom flinched.

"Ouch!" Dom stammered, standing quickly and walking back into the bench. "Don't do that!" He squealed, huffing a breath of tentative air! "You're freaking me out!"

"Well stop freaking out then!" Arthur protested, walking towards his friend, his arm outstretched, his fingers uncurled.

"Oh well I'm sorry, but it's not every day that your dead best friend slaps you in the cheek!" Dom rolled his eyes, his mind so bewildered with the thought that he couldn't help but laugh. "I know you're not real Arthur, so stop being weird." Dom said, closing his eyes once again.

"I'll wake up soon, you watch, just you wait." He kept whispering, scrunching his face with certainty. "Wake up, wake up, wake up." He kept forcing, protesting against what was in front of him.

"Touch me."

He opened his eyes to find Arthur's hand, outstretched and in front of him, his finger nails bitten down, his hands strong and clumsy like they always were.

"What?" Dom gulped, shaking his head at his friend. "I don't want to." He protested, knowing what he'd find if he tried.

"I want to prove to you I'm very very real." Arthur walked forward another step, his smile turning into a sympathetic stare as Dom exhaled. "Go on..."

Dom reached his hand out, his fingers flexing before shaking in the winter air. He bit his lip, closed his eyes and focused hard on what seemed most logic to him.

Science.

"He's not real, he's not real, he's not real." He whispered to himself, before slowly outstretching his fingers, just a little further.

They touched.

Dom's eyes grew wide, springing open in a mere form of terror. He hadn't been dreaming, he wasn't a ghost!

Arthur was real.

"T-That's not p-possible." Dom gulped, his head shaking, his voice breaking. "No, No, No." He stammered, his head falling into his hands. "All the hugging, the holding hands, the slap on the cheek. I wasn't dreaming was I?" He whispered, backing away from his very real, very alive, DEAD friend.

"I'm here for you Dom." Arthur smiled, his arms falling open. His berry scrubs looked new and his Napoleon society badge hung on his pocket. "I'm here for you."

Dom was confused, bewildered and very much in shock, but once again fell into his best friends arms, finally believing that he wasn't asleep, he wasn't dreaming anymore.

"Diggers." He whispered, smelling his scent, feeling his touch. "Diggers." He muttered, his head spinning with the impossible.

It was impossible, but this time he didn't question it. Maybe his love for his best friend overdid everything science could explain.

Miracles could happen.

"Dom? Dom are you out here?" The moment of realisation was ruined as the pair were suddenly thrown apart, Dom's eyes widening, Arthur stepping back.

Issac.

"Quick, Diggers hide!" Dom shooed his friend away, watching as he hid behind a couple of trees, his giggling distant as Issac approached.

"There you are, we've been worried sick!" Issac walked through into the peace garden, looping his arms around his boyfriend as he pulled him close. "Sacha's calling blue murder on you, you've been gone for hours!" He whispered into Dom's neck, then kissing his curls as the pair sat down.

"I'm sorry." Dom gulped, finding it hard to take his stare off the trees in front of them. He could see Arthur's berry scrubs poking out, and he panicked, sitting in front of his boyfriend to block his view.

Issac wouldn't understand, Issac wouldn't believe.

"Don't be sorry babe, I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He whispered, taking his hand in his. "Is it Arthur, is he getting to you?" He smiled sadly, caressing his cheek with his fingers.

Dom struggled to withhold his smirk, watching his best friend wink from behind the tree.

"You could say that." He breathed, shaking his head away from his friend, for he couldn't hold in his giggles. How on earth could he possibly explain to Issac that Arthur was back? That Arthur was Alive?

Before he could think anymore, Issac was wrapping him in a hug, pulling him into his chest quite suddenly. He was only trying to be kind, but Dom felt awkward, trapped as he thought of Arthur on looking.

He wanted to savour these moments he ha with his best friend, for he didn't know when he'd be gone again. He didn't was Issac to hug him, he wanted Arthur to hug him.

Was that too much to ask?

He pulled away, snapping his head up at his boyfriend, pushing his embrace away with his clammy hand. He wanted an escape, he wanted to be alone. It was almost as if any other human agitated him, even if it was his closest person.

"Dom?" Issac questioned, looking hurt as his boyfriend turned away from him. "Dom what is it?" He pestered, confused as to why he was staring into the trees. To Issac he looked almost dazed, in a trance of some sort, his eyes looked glazed and his posture was stiff.

This wasn't the Dom he knew and loved?

"Dom?"

"Can you just leave me alone for gods sake, why do you think I came out here?" Dom snapped, his eyes narrowing with a frown as Issac stepped up. "I don't need you here cuddling me, I need some space." He huffed, breathing out angrily as Issac began to back away.

"Why are you being like this?" Issac whispered, beginning to walk back to Keller. "Have it your way then." He left Dom's sight, his head down and his shoulders hunched, he sounded gloomy and Dom wasn't proud of that.

But Issac wouldn't understand, no one would understand.

"Am I safe to come out now?" Arthur giggled, poking his black hair from the tree. He walked over to the memorial bench, taking a leech next to his friend, grabbing his fingers. "I see you went all evil Dom on mr fitty over there." He snorted, wiggling his eye brows as Dom exhaled.

"Well I want to spend more time with you, you know, it's not like I've seen you much in the last few months." Dom hummed, laying his head on Arthur's shoulder. "Was I a bit harsh to him."

"Just a bit, he's good for you, you know." Arthur suggested, giving his friend a kiss on the cheek. "You go all blushy when he's around, he's got you smitten!" He winked, quickly being smacked by Dom on the arm.

"Shush you!" He giggled, taking the picture out of his pocket to show his friend. "I'll apologise to him later, but right now I want to look at the real you, instead of this to get me through the day." He handed Arthur the laminated copy of himself, smirking as his friend scrunched his face.

"Hmm you could have picked a better picture to stare at." He protested, placing it back on the old bench. "That's sweet though."

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, their gazes on Arthur's plaque, their fingers strongly intertwined.

"I'm so glad your back." Dom said. "You don't know how happy you've made me right now." He was looking at the sun beginning to set, his pager still beeping with fury. He knew his time in this garden was coming to an end before he had Hanssen breathing down his back. "Are you still going to be here when I come back?" He whispered, biting his lip with nerves. "I've already lost you once, I'm not sure I can do it again." He stuttered, looking at the floor.

Arthur brought his chin up with his finger, his brown eyes fixed on Dom's. He nodded, pressing their heads together and pulling his best friend close.

"I'm here for you." He whispered in his ear, smiling as Dom became calm. "It'll be our little secret." He winked.

"Our little secret." Dom smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

**InfinityAndOne - Thank you for the lovely review!**

It was a week later when Dom talked to Arthur again.

His busy schedule at work had forbidden him from going to the garden, and stopped him from having the time that calmed him so much. He savoured each moment with his best friend, and as his heart beat faster, his temptation to run away with his friend grew.

"I was wondering when I'd see you again." Arthur giggled, a warm smile painted on his face, his hand stretched out on a cold Wednesday afternoon. "Are you enjoying Sacha's Christmas celebrations?" He teased, eyeing the now Christmas tree hat his friend wore, and the tinsel bracelets around his arm.

"Shut up." Dom smirked, taking Arthur's hand. "Can we go for a walk, you know, get out of here?" He suggested, pulling his friend forward.

Arthur smiled and nodded, intertwining their cold and frosty fingers, breathing out relief as Dom opened the car door for him. Dom took a seat, pulled out a lunch box and handed a sandwich to his friend.

Arthur gasped.

"Sardine and tomato!" He laughed, tapping his friend on the shoulder. "My favourite!" He said, taking a large bite.

"Well, as disgusting as they are, I wanted to make you something nice. I thought we could go for a picnic." He explained, taking one last look at the Wyvern wing before starting the engine.

"Haven't you got patients?" Arthur pressed, frowning slightly as Dom pulled out of the car park. "Dom." He pestered as his friend didn't respond.

"I'd rather spend time with you." He sighed, smiling at his friend. "I'm not losing you again Arthur Digby." He gulped, trying to hide his watery eyes behind the grin.

"To a picnic we go I suppose." Arthur chuckled, placing his sandwich firmly on his pocket.

"To a picnic we go."

{~}

Back on Keller, things were starting to go wrong.

"Have you seen Dr Copeland?" Ric questioned, passing Issac in the ward. The consultant looked flustered, gripping a patients notes harshly as he talked to his college. "Issac?" He pestered, pulling him away from his cubicle.

"He was treating an elective earlier, before his lunch break, but I haven't seen him since." He smiled, aiming to walk away from the man. "I assumed he was in on a surgery." He questioned, his heart slowly dropping as he realised it wasn't the case.

"That's exactly where he should be, but due to his disappearing act, his simple appendectomy has turned into a ruptured spleen and an abdominal fistula." Ric huffed, gritting his teeth with anger. "Thanks to your friend I have a patient that could damn well sue this place." He spat, his voice low but venomous as the pair reached the nurses station.

Issac gulped.

"If you don't find this god damned boyfriend of yours, I can promise you he will be leaving more than just the ward." Ric hissed, his eyes stern as he smacked the files on the desk. "Tell Dr Copeland he won't be anywhere near my OR with this sloppy attitude."

With that he stormed off, his stance rigid and his heart pounding. The office door slammed, and Issac jumped, physically scarred by the older man. He was one angry consultant, one that he was sure Dom wouldn't face for a while.

He gulped and took a seat behind the desk, his head laying in his hands. He took a long breath, thought back to the recent week and sighed.

Something was off with his boyfriend, something wasn't quite right, distant in fact. He was acting strangely, and his constant disappearing was a worry.

There was something wrong with Dom, and Issac was going to get to the bottom of it.

{~}

"This is nice." Arthur smiled, chewing on his sandwich as the pair sat in the park. Dom was watching his friend in awe, his eyes fixed on Arthur's brown orbs, his palms clammy and hot.

All he could picture was paradise. The blowing trees, the smell of the grass and his best friends figure, cross legged in front of him. He could only picture heaven, he could only picture a life like this.

What was even running through his mind?

"Don't leave." He muttered suddenly, his breath quickening, his pulse rising. "No matter what happens, don't leave me." He felt his lip quiver, his eyes watering. It was hitting him all over again.

Arthur noticed his distress, crawling across the blanket and wrapping his arm around his friend. He kissed Dom's head as he fell into his embrace, shaking, panicking, crying.

"Shhh, it's okay, shhh." He whispered, drying his tears. "I'm here for you." He repeated again, a phrase that was becoming quite consistent in conversation. "Everything will be okay."

Dom looked up, pulling away from his embrace. He took Arthur's hand, squeezing it tightly, almost a reassurance to the fact that he wasn't going mad.

"How long will you be here for me though?" Dom whimpered, gulping back his sobs. "I-I'm n-not s-sure I can l-lose you a-again." He pleaded, pulling on Arthur's mustard jumper.

Arthur did no more than nod his head, pursing his lips with a sense of despair, as if he knew something Dom didn't.

"I'm here for you as long as you need me." He whispered, sighing sadly. "When you need me no longer, I will have to go." He gulped, staring at the floor.

"I'll always need you." Dom smiled.


End file.
